THE COTTON STAINER OR RED BUG. 



165 



a, Thrips en- 

 living speci- 

 c, leg, much 



which they suck the bland and fragrant oil. In the Orange, these parts 

 of the flower are naturally deciduous, and the effect of the attacks of 

 the Thrips is to hasten their fall ; for the most part leaving uninjured 

 the. fruit producing pistil, which moreover will not fail to have been 

 fructified with the pollen which these active midgets distribute over 

 every part. Figure 5 on Plate XI shows 

 an orange blossom infested with these in- 

 sects. The Orange, being a profuse bloom- 

 er, commonly sets more fruit than it can 

 mature, and is constantly throwing off the 

 surplus from the time when the buds begin 

 to open until the branches are relieved of 

 their burdens at the harvest. A large 

 share of the energy of the tree is expended 

 uselessly in the fruit which falls to the 

 ground prematurely, and is lost. 



The operations of the Thrips are confined 

 to the flowers and therefore tend to antici- 

 pate and prevent this waste, by thinning a 



5 FIG. 77. -Thrips trititi: 



out the superabundant bloom at the outset, larged, drawn from 



,. . , , meiis; b, antenna; 



I" or this reason the insect is more often a enlarged. (Original.) 

 friend than a foe to the plant, and were it not for the fact that its 

 numbers sometimes increase inordinately and to such an extent as to 

 effect injuriously the forming crop, it could not be classed among the 

 insect enemies of the Orange. 



The Orange Thrips is frequently an annoyance to persons occupied in 

 flower gardens where Lilies and Roses are in bloom. It settles upon the 

 hands an.d face, and bites sharply, although without poisonous irrita- 

 tion. 



Remedies. A moderately strong solution of whale-oil soap, one pound 

 to four or five gallons of water, will suffice to destroy this insect if 

 sprayed upon the flowers in fine spray. Applications of pyrethrum 

 will also effectively reduce their numbers. It is best used in liquid, de- 

 livered in fine spray upon the flowers. One ounce of the powder in 

 each gallon of water is sufficient to destroy the Thrips. The powder 

 must be kept suspended by frequent agitation of the liquid. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE FRUIT. 



THE COTTON STAINER OR RED BUGr. 



(Dysdercus suturellus Herrich-Sch.) 

 [Plate XI, Fig. 4.] 



This Soldier-bug, well known to cotton -growers in Florida, as occa- 

 sioning great loss by puncturing the cotton bolls and injuring the fiber, 

 has recently been found destructive to oranges by puncturing the rind 



